Chapter 329: Kaguya and Black Zetsu's Personal Perspectives
"M-Mother?"
Black Zetsu stammered.
The creature before him looked nothing like her—not even humanoid—but the chakra signature was undeniable.
It was his mother.
But… how?!
Infinite Tsukuyomi hadn't been activated yet!
If Mother had been able to free herself all along, then…
All his centuries of effort…
No.
No, no, no!
It didn't matter.
The fact that she was here was a good thing!
He had no right to complain.
Black Zetsu quickly composed himself, gazing at Kaguya with deep reverence.
Seeing his loyalty, Kaguya felt a rare sense of comfort.
Good.
At least her third son had not been corrupted by the Shinobi World.
Even though she had already sensed that Black Zetsu remained faithful when the Ten Tails was revived, seeing it with her own eyes gave her even greater assurance.
---
"Black Zetsu, how is the plan progressing?"
The squirrel spoke with a cold, distant tone.
"When will the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki activate Infinite Tsukuyomi?"
Black Zetsu hesitated for a moment, then carefully examined the squirrel's chakra once more.
He spoke with guilt and sorrow—
"Mother, the Ten Tails is incomplete. The current Jinchūriki forcibly absorbed an incomplete version of the beast, so he is not yet capable of casting Infinite Tsukuyomi."
By the end of his sentence, his voice trembled with remorse.
"I… I'm sorry, Mother. I know you wish to return immediately… but I am not ready yet."
---
So that was it.
This wasn't the real Kaguya.
This was merely a fraction of her chakra—a projection.
She wasn't actually free.
Otherwise, she wouldn't need to ask about the progress of the Moon's Eye Plan.
Kaguya frowned.
The Tailed Beasts… hadn't all been gathered yet?
Then… why had Isshiki revived?
She had assumed the plan was nearly complete, forcing Isshiki to act before she could be revived.
But that wasn't the case at all.
So what was he after?
Her Ten Tails?!
---
Seeing Kaguya fall into deep thought, Black Zetsu remained silent, allowing her to process the situation.
After a while, he cautiously asked—
"How did you escape the seal, Mother?"
The squirrel cast him a calm glance before responding.
"Hamura's seal developed a flaw."
Black Zetsu froze in confusion.
A flaw?
How? Who did it?
He didn't believe that his two brothers' seal could be so easily broken.
Unless…
1. They willingly allowed it.
2. Someone extremely powerful intervened.
---
Before Black Zetsu could dwell on it further, Kaguya pressed on.
"You were just at Ideal City, weren't you? Whose chakra caused that massive outburst?"
Black Zetsu's expression darkened slightly.
"A shinobi named Hyuga Fuji. He possesses the Tenseigan."
Hearing this name, Black Zetsu's mind raced.
Hyuga Fuji…
He was the one who went to the moon and wiped out Hamura's clan.
He even stayed on the moon for quite some time.
Could it be…
That he was responsible for freeing Mother?!
Black Zetsu suddenly remembered something from the Ancient History Scrolls.
It was written that Tenseigan energy could weaken Kaguya's seal, potentially allowing a fragment of her power to escape.
And now… Kaguya was here.
The timing was perfectly aligned.
Had Hyuga Fuji unknowingly aided her escape?
---
Meanwhile, Kaguya's mind weighed heavily on the mention of the Tenseigan.
As Isshiki's former servant, she knew his abilities all too well.
Without a doubt, he had never possessed the Tenseigan.
And in all of recorded history, only one person had ever awakened it—
Her son, Otsutsuki Hamura.
Her face darkened.
"Did Isshiki… consume Hamura and his descendants?"
---
At that moment, Kaguya made a terrifying realization.
Everything made sense now.
1. Her sudden chance to escape.
2. The disappearance of Hamura's clan.
3. The weakened seal.
It had to be Isshiki's doing!
After Hamura died, he must have merged his chakra into the seal, reinforcing it.
And yet—
When Kaguya emerged, she felt no trace of Hamura's presence.
The Otsutsuki guardians of the moon were also missing.
That left only two possibilities:
1. Hamura willingly freed her and disbanded his people. (Impossible.)
2. Hamura's chakra and his entire clan had been destroyed. (Highly likely.)
---
If Isshiki didn't have the Tenseigan, then…
He must have harvested Hamura's chakra!
That was the only explanation.
Kaguya's expression darkened further.
"Do you have intelligence on Hyuga Fuji? Did he go to the moon?"
Black Zetsu nodded.
"Yes, Mother. One month ago, Hyuga Fuji visited the moon. He was also the one who wiped out the Otsutsuki Branch Family there."
Kaguya's heart sank completely.
---
"So there was a major battle on the moon?"
"Correct."
"And Hyuga Fuji's Tenseigan awakened there?"
The squirrel's expression grew even more complex.
Black Zetsu felt certain—
Mother had figured it out.
She must have realized that Hamura allowed her to escape… or at least, that he played a role in her release.
The Tenseigan had only ever appeared once in history.
For someone new to awaken it at the exact moment the seal weakened…
The connection was obvious.
---
"After returning from the moon, Hyuga Fuji's eyes were fully awakened into the Tenseigan."
With those words, Kaguya no longer had any doubts.
Isshiki had tried to claim the Tenseigan, but in doing so, he weakened the seal.
That allowed her escape.
Her eyes flickered with deep thought.
"We must avoid Hyuga Fuji. Our focus should be on the Ten Tails' Jinchūriki. We cannot let them meet."
"Huh?"
Black Zetsu was momentarily stunned.
"Do you have other plans, Mother?"
The squirrel gracefully leapt onto his shoulder, speaking in a calm yet commanding tone.
"You disagree?"
"N-No! Not at all!"
Black Zetsu quickly shook his head.
It seemed that Mother didn't want to confront her brother directly.
Instead, she wanted to reclaim her own power first.
That was fine.
If it was Mother's will, he would ensure her plan succeeded.
All of his resentment for Madara's failure disappeared in an instant.
Now, he had only one goal—
To bring Mother back to her full power!
Even if Hyuga Fuji possessed power rivaling Hagoromo, Black Zetsu believed without a doubt that Mother's return would ensure his downfall.
After all, if Hamura had willingly freed her, surely she would be merciful in the end, right?
With renewed determination, Black Zetsu raced toward Konoha—his speed at full throttle.
---
Meanwhile, Outside Konoha…
BOOM!
Thunderous explosions shook the battlefield.
The air was thick with smoke and chakra surges, as Pain's Six Paths, Nagato, and Otsutsuki Shinichi clashed with Minato, Tsunade, Kakashi, and the elite forces of Konoha.
The battle was chaotic beyond measure.
Above, Tendo Pain controlled gravity itself, hurling boulders and trees at his enemies.
But Minato, using Flying Thunder God, effortlessly danced through the attacks, countering with his own precision strikes.
As the battle raged, the fate of the world hung in the balance.
(End of Chapter)